A series of special events this month involving Bangor University will see members of the public join together in building a more accurate picture of the diversity of marine life around the UK’s coastline.

Scientists are working with a trained army of ‘citizen scientists’ during the upcoming ‘CoCoast Unite’ weekend across the UK. This will gather vital information about the variety and abundance of intertidal species on our rocky seashores. Moelfre beach is just one of the locations across north Wales and the UK where members of the public will be taking part in a ‘citizen science’ project to build a more accurate picture of the diversity of marine life around the UK’s coastline.

Read More

The intertidal zone is a very dynamic environment as a result of it being affected by the twice-daily ebb and flow of the tide. Habitats range from rockpools to mudflats to sandy beaches, which means many marine animals can be found there, from starfish and limpets to crabs and mussels, seabirds and in some locations, marine mammals.

The events are part of the three-year Capturing our Coast (CoCoast) project, led by Newcastle University and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The CoCoast partnership involves Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, Hull, and Portsmouth Universities, the Scottish Association for Marine Science, the Marine Biological Association of the UK and the Marine Conservation Society, along with Earthwatch Institute, the Natural History Museum, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the North West Costal Forum.

Read More

Dr Jacqui Pocklington, CoCoast national co-ordinator at Newcastle University, said: “Our CoCoast volunteers are helping us to develop a baseline against which we can track how species are changing over time.”

The ‘CoCoast Unite’ weekend runs from Thursday to Sunday June 8-11. Trained CoCoast volunteers can book on to join a particular event or can survey at their preferred shore. To share the impact of their efforts, volunteers can post photos of them outsurveying through email or via social media using #CoCoastUnite. Sign up at capturingourcoast.co.uk.